~

\.
Jazz - t- 3 i
Improvisa Ion ·
Swing and Early
Progressive Piano Styles
. By John Mehegan
Preface by Horace Silver
AMSCO MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANY
SWING
AND
EARLY PROGRESSIVE
·PIANO STYLES
In 1M1Tt01J of my jatJur, John JamJJs
and my motJur, Margaret Louise Mehegan
Copyright @ 1964 by Watson-Guptill Publications, Inc.
First published 1964 In the United States by Watson-Guptill Publications,
a division of Billboard Publications, Inc.,
1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036
Exclusive distributors to the Music Trade
Music Sales Corporation
24 E. 22 Street
New York. N.V. 10010
Music Sales Umited
8/9 Frith Street
London WW 5TZ ,
Music Sales Pty Umited
27 Clarendon Street
Artarmon
Sydney NSW 2064
Ubrary of Congress Catalogue Card No. 58-13525
ISBN 0-8230-2573-X
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or used In any form or by any means-graphlc.
electronic. or mechanical. Including photocopying. recording.
taping. or Information storage and retrieval systems-without
written permission of the publisher.
Manufactured In U.S.A.
11 12 13 14/90 89 88
CONTENTS
Preface by Horace Silver 7
Introducbon 9
SECTION I TEDDY WILSON
1. Scale-tone Tenths-<CThe Best Thing For You Is Me," in C 15
2. Major Scale-tone Tenth Inversions-"Lover Come Back To Me," in G 20
3. Dominant Scale-tone Tenth Inversions-"Autumn Leaves," in F 23
4. Minor Scale-tone Tenth Inversions-"The Song Is You," in D 25
5. Half-diminished Scale-tone Tenth Inversions-<COver The. 28
Rainbow," in Bb
6. Diminished Scale-tone Tenths-"Flying Down To Rio," in A 29
7. Major Swing Chords-" A Foggy Day," in Eb 31
8. Dominant Swing Chords-,cOld Devil Moon," in E 33
9. Minor Swing Chords-"Cheek To Cheek," in Ab 35
10. Half-diminished Swing Chords-<CLove For Sale," in B minor 37
11. Diminished Swing Chords-"I've Got My Love To Keep 38
Me Warm," in Db
12. Chromatic Minor Tenths-"With A Song In My Heart," in Gb 40
13. Mixed Elements-"Thou Swell," in C 42
14. Integrated Hands-CCWbat Is This Thing Called Love?" in G 44
15. Patterns (V-I)-"Gypsy In My Soul," in F 46
16. Right Hand Line--"My Heart Stood Still," in D 51
SECTION n ART TATUM
17. Scale-tone Tenth Chords-"What's New?" in C 56
18. Sixty Scale-tone Tenth Chords-'cyou Do Something To Me," in G 59
19. Scale-tone Tenth Chord Inversions-"As Long As There's Music," in G 61
20. Mixed Positions (voicing)-<CTime Mter Time," in D 64
21. Mixed Positions -Scale--Arpeggio Factors-Left Hand- 70
"That Old Black MagiC," in Bb
22. Mixed Positions (Axis of 7 and 3)-CCDarn That Dream," in A 76
23. Mixed Positions, 3-7-3 (Major 3rd, Minor 7th) xxx cycle-- 79
"Prelude To A Kiss," in Eb
24. Mixed Positions, 7-3-7 (Minor 7th, Major 3rd) m-x-m cycle-- 84
"Satin Doll," in E
25. Mixed Positions, 7-3-7 (Minor 7th, Major 3rd) I/J-x-I/J cycle-- 88
"Woodyn' You," in Ab
26. Swing Bass-"April In Paris," in C 89
27. Pedaling-"Imagination," in C 92
28. Intros-"Stella By Starlight," in G 93
29. Melody-"Can't We Be Friends," in Bb fIT
30. The Harlem School-"SmokeGets In Your Eyes," in D 99
31. Thomas "Fats" Waller-"Everything Happens To Me," in Eb 101
32. Earl Hines-Traditional 12-bar blues, in A 103
33. Right Hand Components-"How A ~ u t You?" in Ab 105
34. "Walking" Bass Lines-"I've Got A Crush On You," in E 107
35. Classical Form-Jazz Content-"I've Gotta Right To Sing 109
The Blues," in Db
SECTION m BUD POWELL
36. Harmonic Fragmentation-Perfect Cycles-"Somebody 112
Loves Me," in C
37. Harmonic Fragmentation-Diatonic-"SkyIark," in G 114
38. Harmonic Fragmentation-Chromatic-"Memories Of You," in F 116
39. Alternate Cycles-"I Can't Get Started," in D 117
40. Right Hand Components (ballad)-ccAngel EyeS," in G minor 120
41. Right Hand Components-( up tempo)-"Indiana, " in A 122
42. Bass Lines-"Early Autumn," in Eb 123
43. Building a Bass Line-c'You Go To My Head," in Ab 125
SECTION IV GEORGE SHEARING
44. Block Chords-"I Got Rhythm," in 12 keys 128
45. The Five Qualities 130
46. The Melodic Points 143
47. The Chromatic Melodic Points 149
48. Solo Block Chords-ccThe Nearness Of You," in F 152
49. Block Chord Inversions-"Flamingo," in Eb 156
SO. Minor Scale-tone Block Chords-"Lullaby Of The Leaves," in C minor 158
51. Right Hand Block Clu>rds-CCStardust," in Db 160
52. Block Chords with Left Hand \Valking Line-ccSeptember In 162
The Rain," in Eb
53. Improvised Block Chords-"Don't You Know I Care," in Eb 164
SECTION V HORACE SILVER
54. General-"Falling In Love With Love," in Eb 168
55. Technique-"One For The Road," in Eb 169
56. Architecture-"The Breeze And I," in D 172
57. The Blues Tradition 173
PREFACE
In my opinion, the young aspiring musician has a difficult
time of it trying to find good teachers and textbooks. This
applies especially to the aspiring jazz musician.
In my youth I was plagued by many inadequate teachers who
taught me incorrectly. This necessitated my being taught .over
again, not once, but several times. I fruitlessly searched the
music stores for textbooks that would give me some knowledge
of modem harmony as well as a beginner's approach to jazz
improvisation.
In this book and in his two previous volumes, John Mehegan
brings to the aspiring jazz musician a helping hand that will
put the reader on the right track. May there be many more
volumes to come.
Horace Silver
INTRODUCTION
The vast history of keyboard improvisation in America is a fantastic
chronicle of human endeavor in confronting one of the most complex
"musical mechanisms" ever created by man - the piano.
This chronicle begins in the last decade of the nineteenth century
and prevails today some sixty years later with many different forms and
skills, but with the same desire to capture some fragment of beauty from
the piano. Ossip Gabrilowitsch, the renowned classical improvisor of
the early twentieth century, once commented that no man could hope to
subdue the piano, but he added, that if it is approached with great
affection and humility, it sometimes gives back small moments of truth.
This quest for beauty and truth has taken many forms dictated by the
technical levels existing in a culture; the demands of the social arena
which the music reflects; the more repressive demands of the marketplace
where the music must be sold; and, finally, the prevailing media of com-
munication through which the music is presented to the audience. Media,
in this case, would be a generic term which would include brothels,
saloons, bars, dance halls, piano rolls, records, concerts, and sheet music.
From and through these various media, piano improvisation has created
a world of sound, of which this volume will deal with a part - namely,
jazz piano from 1935 to 1950
Why jazz piano? And why 1935 to 1950? Firstly, jazz piano because
it was and is the jazz pianist who has been the creator, forging new ideas,
which in turn are adapted by more clever and less talented people for
their own purposes. Secondly, 1935 to 1950 (Volume IV will deal with
jazz piano from 1950 to the present day) represents a culmination of the
ragtime tradition dating back to 19QO; it also represents the years in which
this great tradition was destroyed and replaced by the modem innovations
of the "bop" era
In referring at the beginning of this introduction to "keyboard im-
provisation," it is understood that the term "improvisation" includes a
vast assemblage of non-classical styles and attitudes of which jazz is
only a segment. From this quarter, never the less, jazz is the segment
most worthy of detailed and serious deSCription, since it was and is the
creative font of the entire field.
9
10
It might be interesting to arrange an outline of the history of non-
classical piano improvisation in America in order to give the reader a
frame of reference about this vast subject. The following breakdown of
periods and styles is only schematic and does not by any means entirely
encompass the field.
1900 - 1920
1920 - 1930
RAGTIME
Scott Joplin
James Scott
Tom Turpin
Charles Lamb
James P. Johnson
Lucky Roberts
MINSTREL-VAUDEVILLE
Eubie Blake
Buck Washington
Jimmy Durante
BARREL HOUSE
NOVELTY
Fate Marable
Tony Jackson
"Jelly Roll" Morton
Rufus Perrymaa
Porter King
Zez Confrey
Axel Christensen
Felix Arndt
BOOGIE-WOOGIE
JAZZ
Jimmy Yancey
"Pine-Top" Smith
"Cow-Cow" Davenport
Albert Ammons
Pete Johnson
Meade Lux Lewis
'Villie "The Lion" Smith
"Fats" 'ValIer
Earl Hines
Ebner Schoebel
Teddy 'Weatherford
Arthur Schutt
Joe Sullivan
Art Hodes
12
POPULAR
NOVELTY
REVNALIST
Andre Previn
Ahmad Jamal
Cy' Walter
Peter Nero
Dave Brubeck
Don Shirley
Eddie Heywood
Skitch Henderson
Joe "Fingers" Carr
Liberace
George Feyer
Jose Melis
Roger Williams
Dick Wellstood
Wally Rose
Don Ewell
Ralph Sutton
An interesting aspect of the period 1935 to 1950 has been a plethora
of "method" books, each purporting to reveal the various resources em-
ployed by the pianists under consideration in this volume. None of these
"methods" had any resemblance to the realities of the music they attempted
to describe. Most of them concentrated on the swing-bass systems of
Tatum and Wilson; the lfony here lies in the fact, that all of these
"method" books, without exception, employed inept ragtime mannerisms
which were even impermissible in the ragtime era of the first two decades
in this century, let alone in the swing era.
One of the most perniciOUS devices constantly employed by these
methods was the "rolled" or broken tenth which no ragtime pianist ever
employed. The reason for this was apparent, since few people could hope
to encompass the hand span demands of an authentic swing-bass system
this side of surgery.
A second major defect of these methods was the primitive harmonic
grammar which could not possibly portray the vastness of the swing-bass
systems. As we will learn in the first section of this volume, one minor
tenth can be the bass structure for some eight harmonic functions; e.g. a
G minor tenth is capable of supporting the follOwing functions:
Gm, ~ , EbM:, Ecf»:, Ebx:, Cx ~ , and Cm ~
A third defect which revealed the aesthetic poverty of these methods
was the "melody-fill-melody-fill" device of connecting the melodic phrases
of a tune with senseless "runs" and "fills" without regard for the self-
impelled continuity of the imprOVised line.
The early "barrel-house" or "blues" pianists such as Tony Jackson
and "Jelly Roll" Morton employed a complex system of octaves and sixths
on beats one and three, and a swing chord on beats two and four. The
rag pianists generally abandoned the major and minor sixths in the bass
in favor of the octave which represented an open interval and as such
reduced the diffuse sound of the sixth.
An. important · device of the rag pianists was the use of the "back"
beat which represented an interruption of the "root-chord-root-chord" dis-
placements; e.g. root-chord-chord-root, root-root-chord-root, etc. The speed
with which the rag pianists could execute these rapid displacements was
incredible; often the left hand would appear only as a blur since the eye
could not poSSibly follow this fantastic speed. The pianist would deliberately
refrain from watching the keyboard since, as any sleight of hand per-
former. can illustrate, the hand is quicker than the eye.
The first recorded example of the use of the tenth was in 1921 by
James P. Johnson in ''Keep Off The Grass." Johnson was the teacher of
"Fats" Waller who extended the swing-bass system by introducing the
sustaining pedal as an important adjunct of the tenth-chord structure.
By pedaling the swing-bass, Waller was able to create a thunderous beat
which exuded all the vitality and joy so much a part of this giant pianist.
In the twenties a new style of Swing-bass piano developed in Harlem,
which became known as "Harlem" or "stride" piano. The term stride
evolved from the use of a Single note in the deep bass "striding" up to
the swing chord. By using the single note, the stride pianists were able
to achieve an even more incredible speed in their left-hand motion. Thus,
the use of the single note permitted more freedom in the harmonic functions
of the left-hand since only the extended fifth· finger was necessary to
strike the bass note reducing the "traveling" distance of the left-hand
movement, particularly in strikmg the black keys. This advantage further
allowed for more chromatic roots moving in more complex inverted
chords than preViously poSSible. An added asset of the single note root
was an improved architectural relationship between the left and right
hands by redUCing the ponderous octave in the bass register. Waller and
Willie "The Lion" Smith along with James P. Johnson were the great
stride players of the twenties.
Wilson and Tatum utilized the innovations of the Harlem school
which were particularly applicable to the left-hand structure. The right-
hand idioms of the Harlem school were generally immersed in tiresome
ragtime idioms which possessed . none of the freedom to be found in the
developed hom line of contemporary saxophone and trumpet players.
The new concepts in the right hand improvised line came from an
entirely different source - Midwesterner Earl Hines. Hines, formerly a
ragtime pianist, had seen the ragtime prison of the right hand and turned
to the soaring melodic genius of Louis Armstrong to free the right hand
from the oppressive mannerisms of ragtime.
13
14
Wilson was primarily concerned with form and architecture; Tatum
with an incredible content of new ideas and .feelings which were· to pave
the way for succeeding developments. Both Wilson and Tatum carried
the evolution of swing-bass through probably a century of classical har-
monic idioms only to hear the entire edifice topple before their ears
under the smashing assault of Bud Powell, Nat Cole and Thelonious Monk.
The demise of Swing-bass also spelled the end· of solo piano as an
exuberant and flourishing art. It would seem in armchair retrospect that
solo jazz piano might have endured this transition by adapting new
measures which could have insured the continuation of such a vital adjunct
of jazz. The decision to reduce the role of jazz piano to a rhythm section
component was made by Bud Powell, and we must assume his genius
inexorably led him to this inevitable and true conclusion.
ActtJally, Powell did achieve a partial reconstruction of solo piano
in such recordings as "Dusk in Sandi" and "Glass Enclosure," but, as
this master pianist withdrew from active involvement in jazz, solo piano
ceased to exist, since none of Powell's contemporaries, or the men who
carried on his achievement, seriously pursued this aspect of the art form.
Nat Cole abandoned jazz for worlds in which no jazzman can hope
to survive; Monk remained a figure of obscurity whose achievements· are
more philosophical than pianistic. Powell emerges as the master architect
of the early bop movement, Shearing the master consolidator. Shearing's
"blowing line" is out of Powell, his block chord system an act of his own
personal genius abetted by such diverse personalities as Glenn Miller and
the Impressionist composers.
Horace Silver is an innovator of content breathing new life and
substance into already existing forms. He has spawned a "content" school
of "funky" piano represented by such performers as Andre Previn, Russ
Freeman, the late Eddie Costa, John Williams and a host of other pianists.
He has also been a collateral influence on Hampton Hawes, Oscar
Peterson, Les McCann and many others.
More important, Silver has infused new life and meaning into the
substratum of the blues and gospel tradition. At a time when jazz seems
rendered apart by the invasion of exotic idioms of other cultures, it
appears imperative that jazzmen look to their own roots and past for
fresh inspiration. Silver has achieved this and in so doing has enriched
the art form and reaffirmed the peculiar essence of jazz which has always
distinguished it from all other forms of musical expression known to
contemporary man.
John Mehegan
New York City
March, 1964
}2:
LESSON 1.
SECTION I
Teddy Wilson
Scale-tone Tenths
The first organization of the scale-tone chords to be considered, is
the swing-bass tenth system developed by Teddy Wilson to a high degree
of contrapuntal perfection when joined with an improvised line in the right
hand. A tenth is a displaced third (Fig. 1). Any tenth may be constructed
simply by extracting the two lower tones of any scale-tone chord or any
inversion, and displacing the top tone up one octave (Figs. 2 and 3).
Fig. 1. Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
~
e
!&
be
II
I
9:
I
.#1
II
9:
~ a '
••
Wrd teDth V temb V1Ix temh
rx:
teatIl
The essential features of this system are as follows:
1. Swing-bass tenths (Fig. 4)
2. Chromatic scale-tone tenths (Fig. 5)
3. Diatonic scale-tone tenths (Fig. 6)
4. Mixed elements (Fig. 7)
Fig. 4.
9:d fa'3 II
I va ~
9: I) ~ l D I J I a ! II
1m flo '1 Ino ~ '1
;
15
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig.8.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 10.
16
II
I
e:
I n m IV V IV m n I
VIIx m ~ m n ~ v n o n: v IV m n I I
This system must be approached from both the horizontal (Figs. 5
and 6) and vertical (Fig. 4) pOints of view in order to capture its intrinsic
beauty. To employ exclusively vertical Swing-bass formulas (Fig. 4) in
describing this system is to rob it of much of its contrapuntal elegance.
The primary device of Wilson's system is the scale-tone tenths played
on the twelve major scales (Figs. 8-20).
f):
J
J
J
]
f
f
f
~
II
I n m IV V VI vn I
9:#
F
f
f
~ J
j
]
f
II
I n m IV V VI vn I
II
I n m IV V VI vn I
Fig. 11
9:%
3
j
J

This space-consuming left-hand device Seriously restricts the ability of
the right hand to take full advantage of the richest registers of the keyboard.
Wilson's solution to this problem was an eminently Simple one, namely,
to hold half or whole-note tenths in the left hand, while moving the right
hand down into the register usually reserved for the swing chords.
This is, of course, self-evident; what is not so self-evident is that
Wilson's right-hand melodic continuity, as it moves from one register to
another, determines the movement of the left hand. This concern with
the melodic flow of the right-hand line, and the ability to the
left hand into the over-all concept, is the key to the magnificent contra-
puntal beauty of the style. A basic rule seems to prevail, which is never
to repeat the identical left-hand "set-up" in two consecutive bars.
Fig. 3 is a Swing-bass improvisation for "What Is This Thing Called
Love- in the key of C. When building a right-hand line, keep in mind
the prinCiple of integrated hands. Note the many key changes, including
the deceptive opening fragment in F minor (See Minor Scale-tone Chords,
Volume 1). The key series for Fig. 3 is F minor, C major, F minor, C major,
Bb major, Db major (unresolved), C major (unresolved), F minor, and
C major.
F--'

V I
Fig. 4 is a bass line for "My Heart Stood Still." Note the key change.
Fig. 4.
(D)
(D)
(D)
(A)
(D)
VI, blllo / II blIx / I VI / IVm bVlIx / III VI I II VIs /
I
III b1llx I II V / VI, blllo I II bIb: / I VI I IVm b VIIx /
I
III VI/II V '1/ I / V" Ii (A) IVm IVm 11 / IVm J / bIb: /
I VI I IV / / (D) bIll bVIx / II V / VI, bIllo / II blIx /
•
I Ix I IV IVm / III bIllo I II bIb: I I +. / I +. 1/
HEART STOOD STILL-
Copyright 1927 by Hanna, Inc.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Practice Fig. 1 for autQmatic facility with penatonic runs ascend-
ing and descending.
J
II
I
55
56
Fig. 1.
LESSON 17.
SECTION II
Art Tatum
The Scale-tone Tenth Chords
To approach the subject of Art 'Tatum's style is to be confronted with
a fantastic universe of sound spanning some twenty years of pianistic rule.
Here one finds a veritable maze of styles, idioms, and influences, in addition
to a Picasso-like succession of periods, hardly achieved before abandoned.
Ragtime, stride, swing, incipient bop, romanticism, impressionism, blues,
and boogie woogie all appear in a turbulent maze of sound.
Tatum's Rabelaisian keyboard life can be divided into three main
periods:
.1. Ragtime - "stride" period: 1930-1936.
2. Solo and swing period: 1936-1942.
3. Trio period: 1943-1957.
This study will concern itself with the middle period only. The first
period is the amazing documentation of an emerging giant, although the
performances were musically lmeven, containing senseless virtuosity. often
with little musical context.
The third period of Tatum's work is again a return to the same vir-
tuosity which characterized the first period, but this time coupled with
a breathtaking harmonic idiom, which too often pushed Tatum beyond the
bounds of what can honestly be called "jazz."
It is in the middle period that Tatum's resources are joined in a
perfect balance of swing, taste, invention, and, above all, simplicity; a
severe editing of every last device, which was not always a natural in-
clination with this pianistic giant.
The cornerstone of Tatum's left hand lay in the scale-tone seventh
chord, with the third displaced up an octave. Fig. 1 illustrates the scale-
tone seventh chords of C; first, in normal closed position, then with the
displaced third, fOrming scale-tone tenth chords.
Key of C
Closed position
Tenth chordal
e
I
t:r
n
m
e-
m
IV V
IV V
VI
VI
VII
.Q
I
I
Figs. 2-12 illustrate the scale-tone tenth chords in the remaining
keys. It is understood that the original chord qualities are still main-
tained. Thus, in all figures:
Figs. 2-12.
Key olG
:9l*-
i
I
Key of F
H
I is a MAJOR tenth
II is a MINOR tenth
III is a MINOR tenth
IV is a MAJOR tenth
V a DOMINANT tenth
VI is a MINOR tenth
VII isa HALF-DIMINISHED tenth

:
Fig. 13 is a bass line for "What's New." Note the key changes from
major to minor tonalities.
Fig. 13.
pIck-up
( C) b
lIx
I I I + II VI I I ( Ab) II bIIx I I VI I I ( c ) II bIIx I
( c ) I VI I II bIIx II (C) I VI I II bIIx I I + II VI I I (Ab) II blIx I
(Ab) I VI II (c) II b
lIx
I I VI I II blIx II (C) I VI II (F) II blIx I
(F) I +. VI I I (Db) II blIx I I VI II (f) II blIx I I VI I
(f) II blIx I lima II (C) blix I 1+' VI II (Ab) II blix I
(Ab) I VI I I ( c ) II b
lIx
I I VI I II blix I I ( C) I I I +. I I
WHAT'S NEW-
CopYJ:ight 1939 by M. Witmark & Sons '
Ust.>d by permission.
DRILL: Play Figs. 1-12 with left hand when possible, or with both hands
(root and fifth in the left) in instances of span difficulty. (See
Lesson 69, Volume I.)
LESSON 18.
The Sixty Scale-tone Tenth Chords
Fig. 1 illustrates the sixty scale-tone tenth chords (M, x, m, 0)
on twelve tones. As in Lesson 17, play these chords with both hands, or
in the left hand, whenever the student's span allows.
•
b!

Ii
.a .a
&1
II
I 1 ! !
BJ,x AIlS Alo BY Bz BIn
-
Fig. 2 is a bass line for "You Do Something To Me" in the key of C.
Fig. 2
1+' I 10 I 1+' I bVm Vlh 11+' VII, I #110 VI, I IV #IVx I V I
II I
II I b
no
I II I I b Vlh VIx I VI I IIx I II I V IV t/» I I, I blllo I VII, /
II II
Vh, I IVm 4 I III, lilt/»" I II" lIt/» 4 I V I a V I 1+' I bVm VIIx /
I I I I I •
IVm b VIIx I III VIx I bill b Vb I II bIIx I I +. I 1 +. /1
YOU DO SOMETHING TO ME-
Copyright 1929 by Harms, Inc.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Practice Fig. 1 in the left hand whenever possible; root-fifth in
left hand, seventh-third in the right when playing tenths beyond
the student's span.
AD
j,A
1
Bo
II
II
II
II
Fig.l.

i
•
CJI
fIg;
...

:J:fj]
mx
9: &i

elo
9:
i
....
Dm
LESSON 19.
The· Scale-tone Tenth Chord Inversions
Unlike Wilson, Tatum not only employed the full scale-tone tenth
chords, but also the three inversion positions of each scale-tone chord
(except the diminished chord, which is always in root position).
Fig. 1 illustrates the sixty scale-tone tenth chords and their inversions.
i
..
b
i
...

1,0
bo bo \'0 1,0
h3 hs hs
h3
Cx 11 Cx 11 Cx'l1 cx'u Cx'l1
9 h 9
'9
In Figures 1-11 we have considered only several of many voicings for
the five chord qualities in which the bass note is C, the melody, one of
several tones. The possibilities are probably infinite; however, the student
can gradually build up his own resources by ad lib explorations of the
numerous melodies and bass , lines in Volumes I, II and III, following the
application of the essential and ornamental tones described in this lesson
- each chord must contain:
root, third, seventh, melody fifth on all haH-diminished and di-
minished chords.
69
70
Fig. 12 is a bass line for "Time After Time" in the key of D.
Fig. 12.
I VI/II V!: 8 / III VI/II V; 8 / I / IV / VII / b VIb: /
VI VI 2 / b Ve/> IVx / liP:; f III # f / 1I1e/> bllIx / II II f / II s" /
II / V:: 3 / I VI/II V:: 8 / III VI/II V:; 8 / I VI / Vm b V / IV /
IVm bVIIx I VI / I I ~ . / VI II / bVe/> IVm / III blIIo / II bib: / 1+· /
a
TIME AFTER TIME - by Sammy Cahn and ]u1e StyDe
Sands Music Corp.
Used by permissioD.
DRILL: Using Figs. 1 to 11 explore various mixed positions on the
twelve tones.
LESSON 21.
Mixed Position - Scale-Arpeggio Factors _ . Left Hand
One of Tatum's most startling devices was the use of scale-arpeggio
figures in the left hand to support a right-hand voicing. This meant that
the harmonic responSibility, except for the root, passed entirely to the
right hand.
LEFT HAND
Root
Scale-Arpeggio
RIGHT HAND
Third
Fifth (optional)
Seventh
Melody
Ornamental Tones
In initially dealing with these devices it is well to begin the left-hand
figure on the root · and then proceed through the scale-arpeggiO figure em-
ploying the elements studied in Volume I.
In each melodic position the right-hand voicing is built down from
the melody, until the essential tones are represented; the root and any
accompanying devices appear in the left hand.
Fig. 1.
fl I

@
Fig. 1 is a harmonization of "Black Magic" in the Key of Bb based
on this technique. The student must add the melody of "Black Magic"
as a top voice in the right hand. If the melody note falls on the third or
seventh of the prevailing chord, the tone performs both functions simul-
taneously, e.g., in bar 1, the D melody tone is also the third of the I chord.
-
-
eo eo
pick-up
--
I -
- I--t-,
i
• .....J • • •
i
•

V
., r-l' -,.. l' r r r
75
t
~
~
76
,.
eJ
( B ~ )
Fig. 1.
~
~
•
"0
~ :'OICII'"
1.. ___
,..-...
••
• •
fr-r-
., r-r'!' r' r'_ ~ !'
.:I If
.,
,,- ;j
~ I D I
V
I
~
~
I
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC - by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen
Copfright @) 1942 by Famous Music Corporation
Used by permission.
DRILL: Explore other melodies applying this technique.
LESSON· 22.
Mixed Positions - Axis of the Third and Seventh
Still another important architectural device employed in mixed posi-
tions is that of the axis of the third and. seventh in Lessons 68, 69, and 10
of Volume I. The principle of the axis is Simply one of placing the root
and fifth in the left hand; the third, seventh, melody, and selected orna-
mental tones in the right hand. Fig. 1 illustrates the scale-tone seventh
chords of C - axis of the seventh (seventh is the top voice).
~
~
~
..
..
•
'I
..
•
-
I
D m IV v VI VB I
Fig. 2 illustrates the scale-tone seventh chords of G - axis of the
third (third is the top vOice).
Fig. 2.
~ ~ I I
e. ,
~
:
i
•
..
-
- •
..
..
.
.
. -
I
I D m v VI VB I
Fig. 4.
,w.

The principle involved here is a simple one: build down from the
melody to the nearest third and seventh or seventh and third immediately
below the flU3lody tone; add the root and fifth in the left hand.
Occasionally, the student will find that melodic tones accompanying
a harmonic unit (half-note or whole-note chord) move through both axes;
since the melodic phrase must be pursued to its conclusion, the student
must change to the opposite axis at one of the "on beat" points of the bar
(Fig. 3).
'1 8
'1

-
Fig .. 3.
4!.

. ..
r
.-

I
.
I I VI
Fig. 4 is a harmonization in open position, employing both axes, of
"Darn That Dream" in the key of A.
I
r
Ifr
r

3
STELLA BY STARLIGHT - by Ned Washington and Victor Yo\mg
@ 1946 Famous Music Corp., New York, N. Y.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Practice the "intros" appearing in this lesson in the various keys
employing tenths, swing bass and mixed positions.
LESSON 29.
Melody
Tatum's persistent concern for the melodic fabric of a tune has long
been a controversial element of his general style. It is important to
understand that the Simple problem facing the hom man in "blowing" a
single note line ona set of harmonic changes, was a highly intensified
problem to Tatum in the Thirties, who was attempting to transform the
entire classical literature of the piano into the new context of an emerging
art form.
Traditional classical music has largely been based on thematic develop-
ment (melodic improvisation) usually sustained by an underpinning of
chordal-arpeggio-scale elements (harmonic improvisation).
This great idiomatic tradition had to be explored thoroughly in order
that future jazz pianists might build on a permanent evalUlltion of the
role of this tradition in jazz.
Furthermore, previous explorations in the area of extracting classical
resources for use in jazz by Morton, Hines, and Waller had not exceeded the
harmonic devices of early Romanticism (Beethoven and Schubert). In. the
early Thirties there existed a desperate need for continuing these explora-
tions through later 19th century Romanticism into 20th century Impres-
sionism.
This was Tatum's achievement. If he sometimes seemed to deal with
inHexible, uncongenial classical idioms it was to ascertain thoroughly their
eventual value to the jazz pianist.
When working with these later classical idioms, (Chopin, Schumann,
Brahms and Debussy), it was quite natural for Tatum to employ the
melody as a cohesive device. It must also be kept in mind that Tatum
was essentially a solo pianist, which meant that the melody along with
the pulse and harmony of a tune represented an important source of
inspiration in this extremely difficult idiom.
Fig. 1 is a modified harmonization of "Can't We Be Friends." Im-
provise on Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
2:r F f I' rif
VI IIx D V IVo x: II.
IF f I' Ii t I
VIIx VI IIx D V IVIIl If
2:r a ; , _ 1_ , I 1 IFf F I
VI m D v IJxt V VIj VI
2: r I,ta 1 I' I 11'1 f «b; I
VIIl Ix n1 VIIl'VIIl IVf IVIIl
2: W , f 1 f I J f F Je r IF
m VIa IIx V I VI VI VIIl Ix IVIIl VIIx
, .; fit' bE I I' j I
98
D V IVo
Di@
9: Qt
a
f

I
J
!
!
a
1

, ij

I D vIj 1IV0 v
Da
v:
'10
f

i
t
bl
f
11
1
r
II I
J
Jb:t V

Nm
Vl4
IIx V I I
a
CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS-
1929 by Harms, Inc.
U by permission.
DRILL:- The student is advised to begin a thorough research through
documentary and anthology recordings of James P. Johnson,
Willie "The Lion" Smith and Thomas "Fats" Waller in order to
become familiar with the important predecessors of Tatum.
LESSON 30.
The Harlem School
Previous to Tatum, the history of jazz piano is essentially a panorama
of various "regional" explorations of classical forms and their application
to the jazz format. These various regional schools were as follows:
The South: New Orleans
Mobile
Shreveport
Memphis
Baton Rouge
The Mid-West: Chicago
KaDsas City
Sedalia
Toledo
The East: New York (Harlem)
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Philadelphia
99
Fig. 1.
9:%
CD)
(D)
100
The various influences of jazz piano were: barrel house
rags
blues
boogie woogie
minstrels
medicine shows
vaudeville
Of the above-mentioned centers of regional activity, the most per-
tinent to Tatum was the Harlem School of the Twenties. The important
styles explored by· this school were ragtime and minstrels. One of the
favorite pastimes of these pianists was what they called "raggin' the
classics," revamping romantic bravura pieces with "stride" bass figures.
"Striding" was a left-band swing-bass device - playing a Single note in
the deep bass followed by a quick transference to a chord in the center
of the keyboard. These pianists also explored decorative arrangements
of popular tunes laden with bravura octaves, sixths, and thirds, as found
in· classical drill books. These can be heard on many piano roIls. Here can
be found episodic passages characteristic of the Chopin mazurkas, the
Schubert impromptus, the Beethoven sonatas.
From the Harlem school emerged an important line of descent stem-
ming from Lucky Roberts through James P. Johnson to Fats Waller, whom
Tatum considered his main source of influence.
Early recordings by Tatum display the same Borid exhibitionism as
was found in the Harlem school; yet without these explorations the way
would not have been paved for Tatum's eventual distillation, to form the
brilliant of "swing'" piano.
Fig. 1 is a modUled harmonization of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" in
the key of D

.,.,
I
cD) D m JVm lIVo VII Vld D VI J
EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME - Words: Tom Adair - Music: Matt DemUs
Copyright 1941 Embassy Music Corporation. All rights reserved.
used bY permission of the copyright owner.
DRILL: Employ a legato, pedaled touch in Fig. 1.
LESSON 32.
Earle Hines
Earle Hines freed the right hand from the mechanical restriction of
ragtime, paving the way for the linear concepts of Tatum. Hines adapted
a fast octave technique in order . to achieve a keyboard version of the hom
lines as played by trumpeter Louis Armstrong, clarinetist Jimmy Noone,
and tenor saxophonist "Stomp" Evans.
Except for some small group recordings made by Hines with Arm·
strong's "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven," Hines worked within the format of
the large band. Working within this format created certain advantages.
These included a strong rhyflun section, releasing Hines from any left·
hand responsibility and allowing for a complete concentration on the right.
103
Fig. 1.
f} #;;n
G)

9:1#
:>:1#
®
:15#
104
hand octave "hom" line. This aided Hines in forging a new image as to
the role of the piano within a rhythm section, a disciplined role subordi-
nated to the work of the over-all section, rather than the previous "waterfall"
(arhythmic arpeggio) style.
As a solo pianist, Tatum was not primarily interested in this aspect
of Hines's playing, but the right-han:d "trumpet" style of Hines certainly
remained an important source for Tatum's linear ideas.
One of the few solo recordings made by Hines, his "57 Varieties" re-
corded in 1928, is a startling revelation of what was to occur in jazz piano
for the succeeding ten years. Here can. be heard a musical preview of
the later development of Joe Sullivan, Jess Stacy, Teddy Wilson, and, of
course, Tatum.
Earle Hines remains one of the great giants in the crowded history
of jazz piano.
Fig. 1 is a modiBed harmonization· of three choruses of the traditional
12-bar blues. Improvise on Fig. 1.
gg
Eft
qr

106
punctuation elements values - sixteenth, thirty-second, sixty-fourth rests
- were usually avoided, since pre-Tatum technical levels did not permit
the rhythmic precision for these values.
Tatum's explorations in this area, together with similar developments
by Roy Eldridge and Coleman Hawkins, established the basis for the
rhythmiC revolution of the Forties, dominated by Bud Powell and Charlie
Parker.
Tatum's right-hand conceptions employed various rhythmic units in
swprising juxtapOSitions, sometimes as "fills" between melodic fragments,
sometimes as melodic phrases played in diminution (quickened values) t
sometimes as scale-arpeggio material based on the chordal elements.
In general, the levels established by Tatum still are maintained in
present day virtuoso jazz piano (Peterson, Peiffer, Newborn). A break·
down of the units employed in the. three main tempos is as follows:
1. Ballad
2. Bounce
S. Fast.
Fig. 1 is a modified harmonization of "How About You" in Ab. Im·
provise on Fig. 1.
1
;
f

I
r
1*"
ft'
I
cD)
IVm ID D v
"VII
IV IDII DII I
HOW ABOUT YOUP - Lyric by Ralph Freed - Music by Burton Lane
@ Copyright 1941-1961 Leo Feist, Inc .• New York, N. Y.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Employ a legato, pedaled touch in Fig. 1.
LESSON 34.
Walking - Bass Lines
Tatum's walking bass lines remain to this day a marvel of harmonic in-
genuity, impeccable VOice-leading. and architectural perfection. Quarter-
note harmony was virtually unknown before Tatum's day, and strangely
enough has disappeared in present-day playing with the exception of the
"walking" lines played by contemporary bass players. .
The half-note unit of harmony was, of course, essential to the modem
rhythmic composite after 1940, yet one cannot help but regret the dis-
appearance of Tatum's rich panorama of harmonic color.
Tatum's walking bass lines fall into the following traditional categories:
1. Circles of fifths
Circles of fifths patterns are, of course, usually explicit in a bass line; it
remained for Tatum to mount them architecturally. In Fig 1, one extension
of this ulom, however, is illustrated in bars 11 and 12 in which a circle pat-
107
108
Fig. 1.
tern has been "backed up" to create a longer line. This device is generally
subservient to what are known as the "pivot" chords of a tune - chords
appearing on the first beat of the odd bars (1,3, 5, 7, etc). These pivot
chords must be respected, if the fabric of the tune is to be preserved, but
they may be "approached" through the even bars (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.) with
material not originally pertinent to bars.
2. Diatonic progressions
Diatonic (major scale) progressions usually proceed through the prevailing
mode step-wise ascending or descending. These progressions also are sub-
servient to the pivot chords.
3. Chromatic "approaches"
Pivot chords are often approached a half-step above or below, to lend
tension to the bass line. The most common qualities used in these approach
chords are the dominant and tbf,dirilinished (see Fig. 1 - bars 1,3, 4, 5,
9, 13, 14, and 15). .
These walking lines account to a large extent for Tatum's "setting"
his improvisations into arrangements which were played almost identically
in each performance. There are many things. to be said for this. These
arrangements never sounded as if they were set, which is a feat in itself.
They represented a distillation of the very best after years of exploration;
the delicacy of the balance between the hands made an. arrangement
almost imperative. Tatum finally emerged as a pianist no longer dealing
with the arbitrary relationships of an improvisation, but rather with a con-
gealed perfection, which may be called absolute.
Fig. 1 is a modified harmonization for "I've Got A Crush On You"
in E. Improvise on Fig. 1.
2i #ij 'f
I
,

a

1.
plck-ap

II v
Ii
9
i
f#j
a
ta
j
.,
f
,
f
f
f
II I VII VI II& VI
II JVm II IVo

f
II&
m \'Ix. D v VI2 VI
tHh I IF I ar I * f I j1 , II
Jbi 'no m D v I I: I:
I'VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU-
Copyright 1930 by New World Music Corporation
Used by pennission.
DRILL: Employ a legato, pedaled touch in Fig. 1.
LESSON 35.
Classical Form - Jazz Content
The technique of placing jazz conceptions in a classical framework has
been, from the beginning, a serious problem for the jazz musician. The
history of jazz offers ample proof of the truism, that the greatest jazz has
organically created its own design rather than taking on a ready-made form.
One of the most startling aspects of Tatum's genius was his ability
to use a classical form as an exciting frame for jazz ideas. The main
. sources of Tatum's formal "conversion" were Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, and
the Impressionists (Debussy and Ravel).
In rhythmic passages it is a fairly simple problem to generate a jazz
feeling, but to sustain this feeling in arhythmic passages, through only the
devices of phrasing and voicing is extremely difficult, yet one with which
Tatum dealt with consummate skill.
Tatum's use of the tenth helped to create much of the idiomatic jazz
timbre of his style. He employed impressionistic idioms but within the
framework of strict diatonic VOice-leading.
Tatum's early period (1930-1938) reveals a struggle to apply dif-
ficult classical piano idioms to jazz. By the middle period (i938-1945),
from which much of the material of this section is taken, it is evident that
109
Fig. 1.
the master pianist had forged a new, clear image; the classical edges are
gone. The latter period (1945 until · his death in 1957) is a brilliant docU-
mentation of Tatum's gradual extension of his pianistic architecture into
the periphery of polytonality and atonality, anticipating the entire spectrum
of the harmonic explorations of contemporary jazz. Bud PowelYs "Poco
Loco" and "Glass Enclosure" can be traced directly to this final period of
Tatum. '
Fig. 1 is a modified harmonization of "I Gotta Right To 8ing The
Blues" in Db. Improvise on Fig. 1.
V4 lVo IIV"
D
, •• p
VmI,., val.,
III VI
No IIVx
va,t D v
. 1
r " I ., I' , I 0 j
Ix IVa hrz h VD& ilia VIz Ux v
glfll" P
I VI lid VI D m IVJD hila
'* I f
D V Vm
110
lVo IlVII
IV m ~ m ~ v IV m D ~ I I K 1
I COTrA RIGHT TO SING TIlE BLUES-
Copyright 1932 by Hanoa, Ioc.
UsOcl bY permiIsioD.
. DRILL: Employ a legato, pedaled touch in Fig. 1, remembering that the
appearance of a new chord necessitates a pedaling stroke.
111
112
LESSON 36.
SECTION III
Bud Powell
Harmonic Fragmentation - Circles of Fifths
Powell's contribution to modem jazz piano was discussed in Lesson 12
of Volume I. In solving the basic problem of abandOning swing bass and
transferring the rigid vertical structure of previous swing piano into a
more flowing linear form, Powell laid the foundation for much· of jazz
piano's stylistic techniques since the early Forties and has remained the
primary influence of all succeeding pianists; The major achievements of
George Shearing, Horace Silver, and Oscar Peterson can be traced to
Powell's architecture. It is important that the student be aware of a func-
tional innovation begun by Tatum and completed by Powell, namely:
placing the rhythmic pulse in the right hand while reducing the left hand
to a harmonic u.nderpinning.
There are three basic left hand designs to be considered here: 1. Circles
of fifths patterns. 2. Diatonic patterns. 3. Chromatic patterns.
1. Circles of fifths patterns:
x-x-x- circle - see Lesson 23, Figs. 1, 2, 5
m-x-m circle - see Lesson 24, Figs. 1, 2, 5
~ x - 4 > circle - same as m-x-m
Complete facility with these circle of fifth patterns is essential to
mastering the Powell style. Unlike Lessons 23 and 24, these harmonic
"fragments" will constitute the only vertical structure in either hand; the
"implied" tones of any fragment will appear only in the right hand im-
provised line.
This device is described as "harmonic fragmentation," since in any
chord only the root-third or root-seventh appear in the left hand; the re-
maining voices (seventh, fifth, third, melody, ornamental tones) in the
right. Use of the sustaining pedal is prohibited.
If the root-third occurs in the left hand, it is referred to as the palnt
of three; if the root-seventh occurs, it is referred to as the palnt of 8eoen -
the point is the top voice of the left-hand fragment.
Since the mipor seventh interval infers anyone of three chords (dom-
inant, minor, half-diminished), the right-hand line must complete the in-
dicated quality (see Fig. 1).
I
)
l
Fig. 1.

IVx m VIa u V
INDIANA- Words by Ballard Maconald. Music by James F. Hanley
Copyright MCMXVII by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc.
=
,
,
I
VB ma
f:\
f':\
I ::
II
,
7
I
Renewed MCMXLIV and Assigned to Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc.
Used by permission of Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc •• 666 Fifth Avenue, New York 19, N. Y.
DRILL: Study pages 100-102, Volume II, in order to become acquainted
with the musical and technical idioms of Powell's playing.
LESSON 42.
Setting A Bass Line
It is apparent from a brief survey of the bass lines in this and the
previous six lessons that, unlike Wilson and Tatum before him, Powell is
not essentially interested in building a constantly improvised bass line.
Rather, the line is "set" in order to release the total energies for the melodic
and rhythmic achievement in the right-hand line.
Powell's system is not a two-handed integrated architecture as with
Wilson and Tatum. One reason for this is the · fact that Powell is exclu-
sively a group (non-solo) pianist' playing a hom line (essentially non-
pianistic ).
Since Powell's left hand devices are so limited (root position intervals
of sevenths and thirds) the normal keyboard problems of sonority, voicing,
and architectural direction are not present. As a result, the improvisational
demands are much more severe since the remaining factors are automat-
ically set.
123
Fig. 1.
To reduce· the piano to the role of a 8lngle-not8 hom was a necessary
step taken by Powell in order to rediscover the essentialsconcea1ed within
the elaborate architecture of Wilson and Tatum. Successive pianists since
Powell (Silver, Shearing, Peterson, Hawes), have been able to rebuild the
architecture of modem jazz piano on the basis of Powell's evaluation.
Fig. 1 is a bass line for "Early Autumn" in Eb. Improvise on Fig. 1.
Note key changes.
N.J
I 0
I
ijr
'F
11&1
1
,%
"
I qJ
ijr
111#$
be
u
pick-up
, .,
a
., .,
I
.,
p)
cD)
1 VUx 1 VUx
CB)
9:V"
g
!

., ., .,
'I
I VDz I ulll I I
EARLY AUTUMN - Words by Johnny Mercer-Music by Ralph Burns and Woody Herman.
Copyright 1952 by Mars Records, Inc., New York, N. Y.
Used by permission.
DRILL: When improvising on Fig .. 1, use Parker's model of an improvised
line on a ballad appearing on pages 109, 110, Volume II. Here
the sixteenth note prevails interrupted by the eighth note or its
eqUivalent value - the tied sixteenth.
LESSON 43.
Building a Bass Line
Since everything in a Powell improvisation seems to stem from the
"set" bass line or underpinning, it is essential that the student be able to
quickly "set" his own bass line.
n we begin with sheet music, the first step is to convert the sheet music
elements (lettered symbols, notation) to Roman numerals (see page 201,
Volume I). The resulting "solution" is to a jazz musician a special com-
bination of patterns (II-V-I, etc.) appropriate for that particular tune.
The next step is to apply the points of 7-3 architecture to these pat-
terns. Of course, the circle of fifths is preferable·to any other pattern (the
only pattern in which both 7 and 3 can be used). Next in order would be
chromatic patterns and finally diatdnic patterns - both employing point
of 7 only.
When the bass line and the point of 7-3 architecture are "set," it is
well to memorize it (left hand alone) in order to allow the total energies
to be directed toward the right hand line.
This "setting" of a bass line is a fairly automatic process with a pro-
fessional jazz musician - the entire process should take · no more than
two minutes for a skilled professional. The student will find that as more
125
126
Fig. 3.
and more tunes are "set" this way, the process of "jungling" these patterns
becomes a fairly simple problem, since each tune employs the same pat-
terns in varying juxtaposition; e.g., in Fig. 3, a jazz musician would break
down the bass line into the following segments:
Ab (IIx - V / III - bIIIx / II - bIIx / ) etc.
Ab (IIx - V / III - blIIx / II - blIx / ) etc.
The following patterns with their usual points will assist the student
in arriving at a" setting" for a tune: .
Ab I III / / B n V / I / B VlIx b VIIx / VI b V fI / / Ab IIx V /
Ab III b
IIIx
/ II bIIx / / etc.
NOTE: this pattern could be assigned the following points:
7 7 S 7 S
I - VI - II - V - I (See Fig. 1)
This, however, would create a whole-step movement in the top tX>icB
7 S S 7
in VI to II, which is weak, and no movement in II to V, which should be
avoided. Fig. 3 is (See Fig. 2)
ftIk:
., .,
Fig. 1.
9:

, ,
I VI
, ,
VI
r If I, 13 F I; Ilf r IF -r
, .
!IX V
, , ,a" , , "
I VI Va Is IV m I D
YOU co TO MY HEAD-
, ,
m
Cop)'right 1938 by Remick Music Co1'pQratioD
usea Dy pennisaion.
DRILL: Since this tune is usually played as a ballad, apply the same prin-
ciples suggested in drill of lesson 42.
128
LESSON 44.
SECTION IV
George Shearing
Block Chords
The appearance of the George Shearing Quintet in 1949 was the signal
for a new major development in jazz piano. Shearing revealed a deep
understanding of previous developments in the history of jazz piano. His
major keyboard inHuences were Wilson, Tatum, and Powell. Like PoweU,
he had abandoned the Swing-bass mannerisms of Wilson and Tatum in
favor of the half-note harmonic unit in the left hand, and the rhythmic
eighth-note line in the right.
Because Shearing has usually been supported by a full rhythm sec-
tion, including a guitar, his left hand structures have usually appeared in
a higher register of the piano (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1.
\
,
, left haDd rep.ter
I
,
Generally, Shearing has preferred an architecture similar to that
studied in SECTION II rather than the seventh-third architecture of
Powell.
Shearing"s right hand Single line is distinctly rooted in PoweU"s con-
ception, although his right hand register avoids the area above high C
(see Fig. 2).
Fig. 2.
-&,
-,
,
I
I
~
However, the Shearing "sound" is usually associated with the bloclc
chords or "loclced" hands architecture. This sound was utilized in a primi-
tive manner by Milt Buckner in the middle · Forties. Both Shearing and
Buckner probably borrowed the sound from the Glenn Miller saxophone
section. The normal instrumentation of most previous saxophone sections
was two altos and two tenors. Miller introduced a fifth voice, a third tenor
or a clarinet (top voice) to allow for the melody to be played in two voices
an octave apart, with three inner voices (see Fig. 3).
Fig. S.
itl
This is the basis for the Shearing "sound," which will be analyzed in
succeeding chapters. Transferred to the keyboard, these octave "blocks"
are played with the bottom voice in the left hand, the four remaining voices
in the right. This sound remains one of the great architectural innovations
in the history of jazz piano and has become one of the permanent vernacular
idioms employed by all jazz pianists today.
Fig. 4 is a bass line for "I Got Rhythm" to be explored in 12 keys.
,
Fig. 4.
I VI I II IV 0 I III blllo I II bIIx / I Ix. / II. 114>. I VI I V" I
I •
1+' jI I I VI I II IVo I III blllo / II bllx I I Ix. I II. II;'. I
I I
VI. V t I I 1+' IVx I IIIx VlIm. I Vo IIIx 41 I VIx III. / 10 VIx. I
I II I •
IIx VI. I IVo IIx. / VII. / jVlo V 41 / I VI I II IVo I m bmo I
I 1\ • II
II bllx I I Ix. /11.11;,. / VI. IVo I III!/> b
IIIx
I IIx bllx I 1+' II
I I ,
I GOT RHYTHM-
Copyright 1930 by New World Music Corporation
Used by permission.
DRILL: Review Section VI, Volume I, in preparation for the succeeding
material.
LESSON 45.
The Five Qualities
S i n ~ the block chord style is primarily used in playing melodies,
several problems are raised. First, copyright laws prevent the reproduction
of a melody; in addition, the five qualities must be presented before any
practical application can be achieved. This chapter will present the block
chords for the five qualities in twelve keys. Original melodies will be
used as models.
Since melodies tend to follow the scales or modes of the prevailing
chord, the Simple prinCiple here is one of playing the melody in octaves
while adding three appropriate inner voices within the octave tones.
On this basis, the various modes ' originating on C would appear in
chord blocks as in Fig. 1. This figure employs the follOwing modes (see
Section VI, Volume I):
Q u ~ MODE
Major
Dominant
Minor
Half-diminished
Diminished
Ionian
Mixolydian
Dorian
Locrian
021212121
(semitone combination)
In each case, except diminished, the Signature of the prevailing mode
has been used.
Fig.l.
C Major (IonIan of C)
1 ! a
"
5 e 1 1
·9:
1
,
f
f
,
t
f
t
,
C Dominant (Mixolydian of F)
i 1 .; ~ -
1 e
.,
1
130
II
C Minor (Dorian of
1 J 3
2:Jz
,
,
f
C Half-diminished (Locrian of
1 t 3
"
S 8 'r 1
:} Wit;
,
f
1
«
i
t
t
t
t
C Diminished ( 0 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1)
1
:)i

-
-
I
I
,
I I I
-
VIx II II v I
DRILL: Extract a melody from sheet music. Work out a harmonic solu-
tion, assign melodic positions and build the appropriate chord
blocks. (See Lesson 76, Volume I.) For now, play the open oc-
taves on tones not appearing in the mode of the prevailing chord.
This subject will be discussed in Lesson 47.
1
I
1
--
..,
I
LESSON 47.
Chromatic Melodic Positions
Occasionally, a melodic tone falls on a note not appearing in the pre-
vailing mode. The solution to this is quite simple - as in dealing with
the modal melodic positions, play the melodic tone with its octave, adding
the available inner voices and keeping in mind the importance of the root
third and seventh in all qualities, the fifth in half-diminished and ditninished.
One helpful device is to explore the modal positions on either side of
the chromatic position, raising or lowering the outside voices until an agree-
able solution is found. The following tables illustrate the usual non-modal
positions and their best solutions:
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
II
bIg
ex
A common chromatic tone appearing in the dominant chord as an in-
bet v()\(!e \s \be t\m'tecl n\n'tn \ u\us\ta\es \he pOS\b.ODS
for the C dominant chord employing the flatted ninth. The voicing table
is as follows, · based on the Mixolydian mode.
1 b2 3 5 1 •
b
2
3 5 7 b2
3 57b23
4 5 7 b2 4
5 7b235
6 1 b2 3 6
b7 b2 3 5 7
1 , b2351
• The seventh is usually omitted here to avoid a cluttered sound.
Fig. S.
1 I I
I
149
150
The student should explore the series in Fig. S on the remaining
eleven dominant chords.
The flatted thirteenth (b6) is often joined with the flatted ninth (b2),
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
In Fig. 3 above, the positions of b2, 3, 5, and 7 forming "false dimin-
ished" chords are sometimes incorrectly referred to as diminished ninths.
Evaluating these chords on the basis of the C root, they can only be
dominant. The non-modal m, ." and 0 points are:
II
"
1
I
,. FD
I
I'
I
&
m: #1
#7
Fig. 5.
em em.e
Fig. 6.
't
"
,
& t ~
IMl
I
0: no possibilities OJ
All illustrations in this lesson are of course based on the prevailing
mode of the chord.
Fig. 7 is an original melody and chord chart illustrating the chromatic
tones discussed in this chapter. Add the inner voices as in Lesson 46.
Fig. 7.
'4 •
, .
f e I I I fa
~ I
,
,
#3 J .J II
r
LP J
1
J
itJ
bJ
1
J.
L.-- , .--:......J
'--I
I I Ia IV
,
~ . e ~ I I I 1 11 I
,
"
1
•
I
J
J
W J 1
J
I;
#4
J
1
J
J
J
#3
J
L..- , ---..J
hllz VI
D
9D
•
J
e
J
J I
,
,
•
a 1 1 J
,
'7
'2
1
r
f
i J
J
J.
r
r
#r r
r
mD. VI+'
W
7 a
'1
a I 7 a
,

•
L1
_.
•
..
I
c
mD. W+I
151
"
t
"
~
t
,
152
7 a
'I
a I 7 a
•
I
·
·
~ p
-
....
•
.- ~ ~
L_
.". ~ ft ~
·
Vl2
D v
DRILL: Extract a melody from sheet music, work out a harmonic solu-
tion, and build vOicings on melodic positions.
LESSON 48.
Solo Block Chords
The block chord technique, both in the Miller band and as transferred
to the keyboard by Shearing, has been a melodic device superimposed
over a bass line. In this chapter we will attempt to add the root of each
chord as a second voice in the left hand.
Fig. 1 illustrates a melodic fragment with the roots added in the
left hand. The principle illustrated here is Simply one of adding the root
in the fifth finger of the left hand while follOwing the melody line in the
left hand, with the thumb and index finger. The right hand will continue
to carry the remaining four tones; altogether, a six-voice system.
The problem here is to keep the root as far from the melody blocks
as the individual hand span of the student will allow. For instance, span
permitting, the first two bars of Fig. 1 will sound better if played as in
Fig. 2. Here the depth of the roots adds a sonority missing in Fig. 1. The
student should strive to utilize the deepest roots possible without, of
course, "breaking" the chord.
Q.
I
Fig. 1.
7 1 , a
r- 3---,
I I 7 I I a
• I
~ I I
I'
-I -I-
'II
....
--.
• t 111 t
"V·
•
3
J; 7_J
J J
;
~ J I J , I , ~
;
l
.
I
I
I I
I D
y
I I 7 1 • a ~ . I • I I I
"
I
J I
14
.... ....
• • •
..
- tt'· ....
~ ..
~
J ~
;
~
~
~
;
J J
;
J
J
t
I I
I
I
D D
"
a
•
7
•
a I I 1
I'
j ~ j ~ .. '-" •
~ .
.,..
i'"
b ~ ~
qiJi
I
I
,
J
;
J J I I
I
f'-"f
.e
D D
y
I
Fig. 2.
7 1 7 3 J I 7 a a
"
t Ie
~ a ~ .. -I
....
• • t
I
TJi;
J J
;
~ J
j
1
I
I
r
I VI D
y
153
154
These supported voicings are an acceptable solo sound; they may also
offer an area of individual exploration for the student in building his own
choice of "architectural sounds."
Fig. 3 illustrates-a common problem in "blocking" a melodic line, the
melodic tones often "run over" from one chord to another. This requires
an adjustment of both the inner voices and the root, while leaVing the
melodic tones undisturbed.
Fig. 3.
"
8
a I
\ I@
t;t""
"1ft
vtl
3
)
I
\
t

t

-1-
---I ....
........
I I
I I
m D I
In Fig. 4 the tied chords require two beats on II and one on the
remaining quarter-note chord is also a II</>.
Fig. 4.

7 7

t ----:1 Ii

....--.....
.
.

D uti
Here the inner voice (in this case the fifth) moves to the new quality
on the third beat of the bar while leaving the melodic tones, the root, and
the remaining inner voices undisturbed.
In cases in which I moves to VI, inner voice adjustment is not usually
necessary; the new root, of course, must be introduced.
Fig. 5 is a bass line for "The Nearness of You" in F. The roots to be
played with the melodic block chords appear in the bass clef.
Fig. 5.
9;
plak-up
SI&

1&0
I
J l J
I
j
Iv]
I VI Vm IV lVo IVm m
o
0
IF
t
J
I
&r
&J
I
ill
-
II
('
It lVo VIVa D D V J
mE NEARNESS OF YOU - by Ned Wuhfngton and Hoagy Carmfch.el
Copyright @) 1937 and 1940 by F8DlOUI Music CorporatioD
Used I)y permission.
DRILL:
1. Transfer the melody from the sheet music to manuscript paper.
2. Add the roots in the bass clef; place Roman numerals below.
S. Assign melodic positions on the basis of prevailing modes.
4. Add chord blocks, playing the roots with fifth finger of the left hand.
The student is advised to avoid the melodic syncopation appearing in
sheet music on the first and third beats of the bars in order to start the
melodic phrases with the prevailing chords.
(".
155
Fig. 1.
,
'"
I
I. ..
)
.I
I
"
I
I
1
'"
l
r.
..
)
I
l
'"
I
,
•
1
LJ
l
.
•
'"
I
C!

t
156
LESSON 49.
Block Chords With Inversions
As pointed out in a note in Lesson 47 (Fig. 7), the presence of an
inversion symbol refers only to the root to be played by the fifth finger
of the left hand; it in no way affects the right hand block which takes its
construction from the Roman numerals only.
Fig. 1 illustrates a set of chord blocks built on an inversion line with
the bass notes appearing in the left nand. Melodic positions are determined
on the basis of the Roman numeral; the inversion does not affect the position.
•
I I I
,
1 I. I
• •

II J+e J+e
LULLABY OF THE LEAVES - by .Bc:mice Petkere and Joe Young
@ COPYRIGHT 1932 by Bourne, Inc., New York, New York.
@ Copyright 1932 by Bourne, Inc., New York. New York.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Complete the chord blocks for Fig. 6.
LESSON 51.
Right Hand Chord Blocks
As indicated in the beginning of this section, block chords are tradi-
tionally played with four tones in the right hand, one in the left. However,
in adding the root to the left hand, as in Lessons 48, 49, and SO, the awk-
ward problem of simultaneously playing the melody in both hands, can
sometimes be relieved by placing the entire block in the right hand. This
will permit the left hand to extend the roots deeper into the bass.
Some students will find the playing of all five voices of the block
chord in the right hand beyond their span. However, much of this idiom
is within an average span and fot this reason has been included.
Fig. 1 is a bass line for "Stardust" in Db.
Fig. 1.
9:P,% qr
1 If

1
J
J
I- J
J
IJ
J
1
qJ
D IVm I IVx m VIle U IIIx .uu.. D I¥
IVm I IZ VI VIZ IVx m n n v
I I
STAR DUST-
Copyright 1929 by Mills Music. Inc.
Used by permission.
DRILL: Extract the melody from the sheet music. AsSign positions to
each melodic tone in relation to the prevailing mode. Add blocks
to the right hand. For those whose hand span does not allow
the playing of all the tones in each block, it is suggested that
the outer voices be played, along with those inner voices within ,
reach.
161
LESSON 52.
Block Chords - "Walking" Bass Lines
"Walking" bass lines refer to the quarter note scale-arpeggio lines
played by bass players in modem jazz groups. As described in Lesson 34,
Volume I, the unique quality of jazz lies in a particular combination of
rhythmic elements:
eighth-notes - melodic time
half-note - harmonic time
quarter-note - rhythmic time
In pianistic terms, this may be illustrated as follows:
eighth-note - right hand
half-note -left hand
quarter-note - foot beat
These rhythmic elements usually prevail in modem "group" piano.
However, it is possible to re-arrange these-elements in order to create an
acceptable solo sound in modem rhythmiC terms (aVOiding swing bass).
Bassists utilize the identical tonal devices described in Volume I:
arpeggios, scales, modes, scale fragments, and chromatic tones. Rhythmi-
cally, however, the bassist is generally assigned to the quarter note, in order
to establish a finn rhythmiC underpinning for the piano and the various
horns (wind instruments).
We will return to this aspect of jazz in Volume IV; for now we will at-
tempt to join this walking line with the block chord technique in the
right hand.
Fig. 1 is a "walking" bass line for "September in the Rain." Proceed
as in previous lessons playing the available chord blocks in the right hand.
Fig. 1.
2: Wl, qJ 110 J J. J I J J J J I J J j 1 I F ¥ ~ J I
plck-up ~ I I x
I I IV IV
9:0"
J
U
J
I ~ J
I
J
1.3
J J IJ J J J IJ J ~ J
~ *note V I VI D
162
9: ~ h , &J.
J
J
J
I;
J
J
J
IJ
;
j
&r
IF
&F
j
J I
J J IV IV
v J I
j'[>'1
s
S ; ; IS S ; ; las J ~ J I; J J J I
Va Vm IV IV
VI IIx VI IIx D V
2: ~ ~ , J
J
J
J IJ J
J
J
IJ
;
j
&r
IF
&r
j
J
J J IV IV
SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN-
Copyright 1937 by Remick Music C. r oOr1tion
Used by permission.
note: The ninth of the half-diminished chord, unlike the major, dominant
minor and diminished, does not fall in the prevailing mode.
DRILL: Construct a walking line on a previous bass line or one COD-
verted from sheet music and apply melodic chord blocks in the
right hand.
I
163
164
LESSON 53.
Improvised Chord Blocks
Shearing not only developed the block chord technique to present a
melody and its accompanying harmony Simultaneously, he also employed
the block chord in his improvised line, substituting a quick succession of
chord blocks for the exclUSively single note line used by Powell (see Fig. 1:
PoweU; Fig. 2: Shearing).
Fig. 1.
I I I
Fig. 2.
I

re
I
t
I
-i·
'i·
...
..
)
I
.,.
h • I
I
I
"
I ,...."

,1T -i
i" i"
i-- i· 'i--
J?
'-"'"
......
•
....-..
-
I I
t
.
I I
In Fig. S the student will note that blocks do not appear on every
melodic tone but only on the important tones of the phrases faIling on any
one of the eight melodic positions in the bar. This device is employed in
rapid passages to give the illusion of continuous block sounds without the
awkward necessity of playing a complete five tone block on each melodic
U the student attempts to play Fig. 2 at a rapid tempo, it will be
evident that the natural swing of the phrase is diminished; it is to avoid
this the open octave is employed.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 4.
I - I
3
I
I@ -
•

)
I
.
,
J70
In preparation for this "articulated" stroke, the follow4lg studies are
suggested:
•
1. Practice the 12 major scales employing a rapid wrist stroke, with
alternate hands. (see Fig. 1). "air-space" between notes.
I
..
-
I
-

I
I
2. Practice step 1 using the Hanon studies in 12 keys.
3. Practice Step 1 with the sixty scales (modes).
..
An important aspect of these studies is the equal abUity of each of
the five fingef's to support the fuU weight of the arm. In modem jazz phras-
ing the accented arm weight often falls on the fourth or fifth finger (see
Fig. 2), which makes this principle of equal finger strength essential.
4th
6th
4th
I I I I 1
.,-
::> :> ::> ::> ::>-
I
I

I
q ..
mx VI VIIx
Fig. S is a bass line for "One For the Road."
Fig. S.
pick-up
(Eb) b
IIx
I I I II I I I b
llx
I I II 2 I I II 2 I I II a I I blIx I I Vm I
(Eb) Ix bV I IV Vm I I IV bVlIx I I II I #IIo III I IlIx # I VIx /
(Eb) II bllM I I + e VI II (G) lIef> bIIx I I II. I I b
lIx
I
(G) I II I I , II I I I 112 I I b
llx
I I Vm I Ix b V I IV Vm I I
( G ) IV b VIIl I 1 II I #110 III I lUx # I VIx I II bllM I I + 8 b Vlx I
/ / / /
(G) Vm bV I IVx 1m I IVx IVm I III VI bVlx I Vm bV I IVx 1m I
(G) IVx I bill b VIx I V # a blIx I I II a I I bIIx I I II. I I II. /
(G) I II a I I blIx I I Vm I Ix b V I IV Vm I I IV b VlIx I I II I
(G) #110 III I IIIx # I VIx I II V II I b Vllx VIx I b Vlx V I
(G) 1+
8
I I+e II
ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)-
by Howard Arlen and Johnny Mercer
Edwin Morris & Company, Inc.
Used by permission.
DRILL: The student is advised at this point to begin a serious study of
pages 122 to 128, Volume II, which notates the entire "Opus de
Funk." This improvisation, recorded in the early Fifties, repre-
sented a revolutionary development in the history of jazz piano.
This recorded solo clearly illustrates the basic characteristics of
Silver's style. Also, a stunning discography of Silver dating back
to 1950 is suggested as a valuable source of study of this out-
standing musician.
DRILL: Analyze "Opus de Funk" for the following:
1. "Peak" positions of phrases in each bar to determine accent
points.
2. Fingering of phrases, employing normal fingering rules, to
determine arm-weight points in each bar.
3. Punctuation of phrases to determine melodic "COntours."
171
Fig. 2.
~ I
~
)
)
14!
l
.
172
LESSON 56.
Architecture
Bud Powell firmly established a left hand architecture based upon the
3-7-3 concept. Shearing's left hand architecture is of little formal signifi-
cance in the format of the quintet, since the underpinning of the group is
well distributed between drums, bass, piano, and guitar.
Silver has maintained the basic Powell architecture, although he has
brought a rhythmic punctuation to the style not present in the more
legato Powell idiom. More important, Silver established new dynamic and
expressive levels with the right hand. This has allowed for the interplay
of contrapuntal lines between the hands, an important aspect of the 3-7-3
concept in contemporary jazz piano.
Fig. 1.
Silver's basic right hand register is illustrated in Fig. · 1. This allows
the "hom line" to be played in the middle area of the keyboard instead
of the less intense upper area. The eighth note is the basic unit of the
highly accented line, the accent falling on constantly shifting points (eight
to a bar). These accent points preponderantly fall on the top note of the
phrase, which inVariably places the accent on the fourth or fifth finger
(see Fig. 2).
-
>-
-
• ~ ..
.,- >- >-
• > ;
~
~
.,;
• If'*
g,
.
D IVa lIvo VII
~ .. ~
•
i
V 1to8
l

I
,
fI I 3
-
It
J
...
•
:>
>
•
:> if·
... =
-
Gt q-.

qi
Tacit Tacit
Fig. 3 is a bass line for "The Breeze And I" in D.
I + e / I / I / I + e / V / V / III bIIIx / II bIIx / I + e / I / I I
I + II / / / I / VI / II / V # a / III/VI/II / bIIx / I /
#10 / II / V # a / III / VI/II / bIIx / I + e / V / I + e / I + e / /
LESSON 57.
THE BREEZE AND 1-
1928, 1940 by Edward B. Marks Music Corporation
Renewed 1955 and assigned to Edward B. Marks Music Corporation
Used by permission.
The Blues Tradition
The joining of the African beat with the many facets of our culture
(popular, classical, theatrical, religious), resulted in the emergence of a
new exciting art form - jazz.
These joinings first appeared in a variety of forms: work songs, field
hollers, blues, folk songs, rags, marches, dances, chanties, and spirituals.
In each period, these basic sub-;strata elements are "rediscovered" and
revised to fit the new conceptions of rhythm and harmony.
Silver has performed this service by returning to the blues-folk-spiritual
tradition, and revising idioms in terms of post-bop ideas.
Integrated into the "modem hom" line we find the follOWing revised
elements:
1 "Blue" notes. 2. Crushed tones.
173
Fig. 1.
174
The following tables illustrate the "blue" or non-modal tones for each
. of the Dve quailties:
Major: #1 #2 #4 #5 #6
Dominant: #1 #2 #4 #5 #7
Minor: #1 #3 #4 #5 #7
Half-diminished: #2 #3 #5 #6 #7
Diminished: #1 #3 #5 #7
(all figures based on prevailing mode of the chord).
As described in Lesson 61. Volume I, the crushed tones are derived
from the tradition of folk guitar. In addition to the material described
in Volume I, the following is a basic underlying principle of the crushed
tone technique:
The fifth finger in the right hand is placed and held upon the tonic
of the prevailing key of the tune, while a moving lower voice is played
in the lower part of the hand. This lower voice usually centers about the
third. fourth, of the prevailing tonic (Ionian) mode m. addition to the
surrounding chromatic tones. The student should keep in mind that this
technique is not determined by the quality or position of the immediate
chord. only by the prevailing key or tonic of the tune. See Fig. 1 noting
each prevailing tonic (Signature). Of course in tunes involving modulation
to a new key, the tonic of the new key will prevail.
This feeling is by no means limited to the 12 bar blues, but is an
all embracing quality which should, be present in any jazz performance.
Fig. 1 illustrates this technique applied to several keys by various jazz
pianists.
.....-.... ..-..
I
..
#4E
!sf r ~ r
r
1+8 VI n v
..-... ....-...
r
'I
I
'I
#=IE
+f
r
T
r::r
~ V I 1+8 Vm Ix
Ei
F
II
,-
,-
n v 1+1 IVa
bJ
J
..----.....
-
.,
J
IDE
rsFf
,
J
bJ
1 1m
...-.. ...-.. ..-...
BUY
,
ttbi J
I#wr DE
f¢f
l;if
J
1m 1m 1m
DRILL: Explore the 12 bar blues in 12 keys (see Lesson 32), applying
this technique to the right hand line.
qJ
-
II
175
The Jazz Improvisation Series By John Mehegan
1. Tonal and Rhythmic Principles Preface by Leonard Bernstein
The fundamental musical concepts used by every great jazz musician from Buddy Bolden to Dizzy Gillespie.
, Here for students, professional and amateur musicians, and serious jazz enthusiasts are more than 70 lessons
that define and clearly systematize the basic principles of jazz-using more than 60 jazz standards as examples:
"Laura," "Body and Soul," "Spring is Here," "Stella by Starlight," "Autumn in New York," "Round Midnight,"
and others by such leading composers as Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Ellington and Kern, "A highly important
and valuable publication,"-Leonard Bernstein in the preface. "A great book."-Dave Brubeck. "Fulfills a
desperate need."-Oscar Peterson. "A most valuable volume."-Andre Previn. "The finest organization of jazz
material that I have seen."-Bill Evans.
2. Jazz Rhythm and the Improvised Line Preface by Harold Arlen
A brilliant analysis and schematic history of these two supremely important facets of jazz. Many figured bass
lines and solos are given for dozens of well·known tunes of all periods-"High Society," "Oh, Daddy Be Good,"
"Just You, Just Me," "I Can't Get Started," "Night in Tunisia," "Bernie's Tune" and others-as well as 29
transcriptions of performances recorded from 1923 to 1958 by such ,artists as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong,
Bix Beiderbecke, Roy Eldridge, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Stan Getz,
Horace Silver. "John Mehegan in this book continues the high standards of jazz teaching he has set prevIously
in a field that needs these standards so badly."-Nat Hentoff.
3. Swing and Early Progressive Piano Styles
Preface by
Horace Silver
An analysis of the great piano styles of 1936 to 1950, a period of creative ferment which saw the culmination of
the rag-time tradition and its destruction and replacement by the innovations of the "bop" era. This volume
examines the stylistic structure of over fifty major performances by the five greatest jazz pianists of the period-
Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, George Shearing, Horace Silver-giving jn unprecedented detail their
extraordinary improvisations on the basic songs of the jazz repertoire. "Brings to the aspiring jazz musician a
helping hand that will put him on the right track." -Horace Silver in the preface,
4. Contemporary Piano Styles
A rich, instructive survey of the history of jazz piano from 1950 to the present with clear and systematic analyses
of the styles of such leading figures as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, George Shearing, Ahmad Jamal, Horace
Silver, Red Garland, Cecil Taylor and many others. Abundant illustrations of left hand voicings, right hand
modes, solo piano, comping, turn arounds, modern funky piano, harmonic distortions, modal fourths, minor
blues, and modal fragments enable the student to apply modern devices to his personal style,
John Meheaan, jazz pianist, teacher and critic, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and first
played the piano at tile age of five. His distinguished career as a jazz educator began in 1945, when he
became Teddy Wilson's assistant at the Metropolitan Music School in New York. The following year, he
was appointed head of the school's jazz department. In 1947, Mr. Mehegan was named jazz instructor
at the Juilliard School of Music. He taught privately for over 25 years. He also taught at the Yale School
of Music.
Mr. Mehegan's unmatched contribution to the literature of jazz includes not only his major series on
jazz improvisation, but a unique series of jazz instruction books for elementary and secondary school
students, entitled The Jazz Pianist. From 1957 to 1960, he was jazz critic for The New York Herald
Tribune. He was a contributor to such magazines as Downbeat, Metronome, alJd The Saturday
Review, and a reviewer for Jazz magazine.
ISBN 0-8230-2S73-X